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About This Game

1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. Valve's debut title wins more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way to being named "Best PC Game Ever" by PC Gamer, and launches a franchise with more than eight million retail units sold worldwide.

NOW. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.

The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people he cares about are counting on him.

The intense, real-time gameplay of Half-Life 2 is made possible only by Source®, Valve's new proprietary engine technology. Source provides major enhancements in:

Characters: Advanced facial animation system delivers the most sophisticated in-game characters ever seen. With 40 distinct facial "muscles," human characters convey the full array of human emotion, and respond to the player with fluidity and intelligence.

Physics: From pebbles to water to 2-ton trucks respond as expected, as they obey the laws of mass, friction, gravity, and buoyancy.

Graphics: Source's shader-based renderer, like the one used at Pixar to create movies such as Toy Story® and Monster's, Inc.®, creates the most beautiful and realistic environments ever seen in a video game.

AI: Neither friends nor enemies charge blindly into the fray. They can assess threats, navigate tricky terrain, and fashion weapons from whatever is at hand.

Do you like any of the following in gaming?- Valve- Zombies- First-Person Shooters- Great Storylines- Puzzles- Beating the sh*t out of your enemies- Easter Eggs- Airboats- Jeeps- Operating Cranes- Jumpscares- Confusion- Puzzles that are so easy, that when you finally figure out the answer, you feel dumb as hell- Guns- Saving the universe from aliens, zombies, and combine troops- Helicopters- Dropships- Headcrabs- Crowbars- Feeling like you are an MLG Pro- Blowing things up- Pressing Buttons (Very little :\)- Amazing Graphics- Good FPS- Horror- Singleplayer (Co-op mod for this is Synergy)- Suspense- Hilarious Reactions- Fun- Sci-Fi- Action- Hidden Objects- Achievements that will make you go Achievement Hunting- Originality- Playing catch with a "DOG"- Shooting Spiders (*cough* *cough* Headcrabs *cough*)- Trains- Fast-Paced Games- Puzzles that will still confuse you the next time you play the game and/or attempt to make a walkthrough/tutorial on- Grenades- Sawblades- Team Fortress 2 References- Game References- Explosions- Setting sh*t on fire- Splattering Combine/Bad Guys- Defying the Rules/Laws of Gravity- Rejections- Comedy- Making Living things become dead ragdolls and making them die in style/fashion/fabulously/brutaly/hilariously- Throwing things- Sports (Basketball)- Secrets- A Creepy and mysterious man appearing in locations that you normally would just pass by (*cough* *cough* GMan)- Easter Egg Hunts- Candy- PyrosI mean nothing... DANGIT! NO TF2 REFERENCES! Anyways, back to listing... *sighs and clears throat*- Submachine Guns- Crossbows and Archery- Beaches- Water- Gates- Tunnels- Obstacle Courses- Driving- Shotguns- Teaming up with random citizens that you will never know or that you don't already know, but they somehow know your name (Duh, cause you're Gordan f***ing Freeman)- A game that will leave you hungry for more

Or you just need some good footage to record for your YouTube channel...

THEN THIS GAME IS FOR YOU!

"Rig/Setup"------------

PC Model: HP EliteBook 8440p

Processor: Inter(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU M 520 @2.40GHz 2.40 GHz

RAM: 4.00 GB (3.80 GB Usable)

System Type: 64-bit Operating System

And it's surprising that I can get 60+ FPS on this game throughout the whole game! Do you have a crappy computer? Well apparently, THAT DOESN'T MATTER! :D

Im aware this is probably the most reviewed game on Steam, making my own take on this game quite redundant (is there anyone with a unique opinion of HL2, not shared by anyone else? Doubt it).However, i noticed the two best games i got on Steam that i havent reviewed yet happen to be the 2 best FPS's of all time, so here's the first review of the two:

Half Life 2 is the role-model for all FPS games ever made:It "only" has a singleplayer campaign, but its so well done it doesnt need anything else.- Graphics-wise, know this: it's a 2004 game, i played it on 2010 and not once did i feel they were outdated (then again, im not one of those who care a lot about technical aspects)- Sounds... this is not a type of game where this aspect is very relevant, so i cant recall anything about it really- The Story, even though its not the most original or filled with amazing plot twists, it is still compelling and engaging, making you care about its great characters and what happens next- Gameplay, there's where this game excels. From the now-classic 'no cutscenes / always in control', to the incredible variety of scenarios in each level, each with its own tone and pace, and jam-packed with (this is my favourite aspect of the game...) UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS - seriously, i can recall more than 10 scenes that i'll probably never forget about this game. The weapons are also great, in quantity, diversity and in the fun-factor. The enemies too are varied enough and provide a reasonable challenge (though an higher difficulty level would be great).- The length of the game is also one of the best / longest i've seen in an FPS, though it provides little replay value once finished.

Conclusion: Must-play for any gamer out there, to experience a landmark in videogame history, proving again that Valve knows how to make Greatness. Note: Episode 1 and 2 equally recommended to continue the Awesomeness!

What to say about Half Life 2? If I could even explain a fraction of my adoration of this game...it would probably overwhelm you. This game is one of a kind. Taking everything good from the FPS genre and gaming in general, Half Life 2 is a feat I can't fathom.

The gameplay is slick, the sound is platinum album status, the characters will stay with you, and the storyline will grip you. If you haven't already bought this game whilst I've been talking, why haven't you?!?!?!

What can we say anymore ? This is Half Life 2, this is legendary product of pc gaming. Awesome story and characters, better than a lot of action and future science movies, you can be sure. I think this game beginning for everything in game industry again. After ten years still playable and enjoyable. Also don't forget to play Episode One and Two. Absolutely 10/10.

You see I never liked rhino's, but that's ok cause this game doesn't have them.

So when you start the game you are greeted with sexual sounds of raviolli and meatballs, made by famous chef, Adolf Hitler. But sadly you don't get to enjoy these banana's because then general mc♥♥♥♥face puts you on a train with Morgan Freeman, btw it's not really Tim Alan. You are then told it's safer here, and the main character, Master Chief, says "What can you tell me about the reapers?" So as you make your way through the holocaust, I mean train station you meet your old friend Barney the zebra, and he tells you to piss off and get a real job. And that's when my power cut out because I didn't pay the electric bill. I then proceeded to get a job at Mcdolan's, and hated every single moment of it. The end.